Live Anew - Characterhttp://live-anew.com/taxonomy/term/69
enLiving A Life of Servicehttp://live-anew.com/blog/795/living-life-service
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div>When I'm serving others, then I'm using all the stuff around me and thereby connecting with those things, and the environment, in a much deeper and richer way than just sitting around and looking at stuff, and being served.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Doing one's best and give the best service is a rich and exciting way to live. That means never being satisfied with just doing stuff the same old way, just enough to get by. Giving one's best is living our best life now. It means that our mind is ever active, looking how to do things better and better.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Living the life of a servant gives me a lot of control over my immediate environment and life's situations because I can make immediated changes and improvements. I can do things right now.</div>
<div>As I being cleaning up around me things begin to speak to me, "clean me", more and more. In fact, things have always been speaking to me, but I haven't been listening, or more appropriately, I haven't been willing to listen. As I clean one thing, then another speaks to me, and then another and another. And, as I clean each thing my living space gradually gets cleaner, neater, and more orderly.</div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div></div></div>Thu, 11 Oct 2018 16:54:40 +0000Stephen Winters795 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/blog/795/living-life-service#commentsGiving My Wife the Besthttp://live-anew.com/blog/794/giving-my-wife-best
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div>This article was prompted by my wife recently going back to work. With that came a need for a second car, which we just acquired. That second car is ten years old, but it is much newer than our year 2000 car. Now, who would get the "new" car. Of course, that selfish little kid who lives inside of me said, "Me! My car!" But I quickly put that little bugger back to sleep (although it never really sleeps. But I don't need to listen to it.) So, as I checked over and cleaned the car to give it to her, the beginnings of this article began to form in my mind.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>My daily aim: Give my wife the best. I've learned, and am still learning, to always give my wife the best of everything that I am and that I have.</div>
<div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>
<div>What does it mean to give her the best? It's not just a matter of giving her whatever-it-is and then detaching myself from it, rather, it is also to give her myself and the best service along with it. Keep a good attitude while I help her enjoy those best things.</div>
<div>Give those things with my wholehearted blessing along with it.</div>
</div>
<div>Watch her and find out what things that I do that please her, and then keep doing them with a good attitude.</div>
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Then, you may ask, why should I continually give my wife the best of everything? What do I mean by "the best of everything?" It is not to spend a lot of money to buy the highest priced and best quality items. That would take me way off course, have me spend a lot more time work to pay for everything and/or make me broke. Rather, it is to have the daily moment-by-moment attitude of giving her the best of what I have (Not what I don't have). It can be as simple as slicing an avacado in half and giving her whichever half that my mind says is the best (the side that I want for myself). As I develop that attitude of giving her the best, it disables my selfish mindset of wanting the best for myself. Why should I always seek to give her the best? Because then she will give me the best of herself, her love</div>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div>Living the live of a willing servant to my wife and my family is one of the most rewarding lives that I can imagine. It just gives me so many good feelings that I'm bringing joy and support to those whom I love. In fact, that is what it means to truly love someone, to give them the best of yourself.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>When I continually give myself over to doing what is best for another, it changes who I am. When I'm giving my best to my loved ones, and to others, I'm actually giving the best to myself. What do I mean by that? When I'm constantly thinking about and doing the best to others, I'm bringing out my best attitude, and that is beneficial to me. I'm in a lot better attitude and feel better about myself when I'm giving rather than wanting. Wanting is a never ending trap and it never brings me happiness. When I'm in the wanting attitude, I never receive everything that I want and so I never feel fulfilled.</div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/68">Family</a></div></div></div>Thu, 11 Oct 2018 16:53:48 +0000Stephen Winters794 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/blog/794/giving-my-wife-best#commentsIs There A God?http://live-anew.com/blog/790/there-god
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>In a large sense, I really don't care if there is a god, or a God, or not. It is what it is. Either there is a god/God or there isn't. Whatever I think or believe about it isn't going to change that reality. "What reality?" you ask. The reality of if there is or isn't a God.</p>
<p>Rather than get entangled with arguments for or against the concept of each person idea of god/God, I think it is much more important how we treat one another and how we live our lives. Any view of god/God that is worth anything is going to want us to treat one another with love, honor, and respect.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/67">Religion</a></div></div></div>Fri, 20 Jul 2018 17:44:51 +0000Stephen Winters790 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/blog/790/there-god#commentsAccountability and hopehttp://live-anew.com/blog/789/accountability-and-hope
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>For most of my life I have been extremely averse to the whole idea of accountability. To me, it had the feel of someone standing over my should and watching everything that I do, waiting for me to do anything wrong, then to jump on me. I have avoided any groups that talked being accountable. It had the feeling of someone else trying to control me.</p>
<p>In the mean time I've been getting older (I'm 67 years old) and have been discouraged with so many things in life. I've also been becoming discouraged with myself. I work at home and I've been distracted by so many things. I have not been able to work effeciently. In fact I've been doing increasingly less and less productive paying work. Fortunately, my wife has gone to work to help with her social security.</p>
<p> Now, to digress a little. I was raised in a family with very little financial accountability. My dad was a hard worker, but a terrible money manager. As a consequence, from time to time, Dad took us and ran from the creditors, multiple times as I grew up. He finally started in a business and grew it from a little business until over a period of 14 years it brought about $900,000 during the last year. Then the whole thing collapsed. As I said, Dad was a terrible money manager. He also wasn't accountable to anyone (except his creditors). Again we ran and hid from the bill collectors.</p>
<div>Now, back to me again. In 1986 I got my first computer, which was an Atari ST. It was all that I could afford. I have been in love with (using) computers ever since.I spent a lot of time on the computer (word processors, programming spreadsheets, desktop publishing, databases, etc.) I was able to try out a number of various software for it. Fortunately, I love to write (on the computer) so that has been a blessing in many ways, but not financially.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>After getting married, neither I nor my wife had any financial training. We had our own issues with not having money enough to pay the creditors, which went on for a few years. And, to add to that, my wife hated computers. So, I did not talk to her much about computers. However, when we got married my computer was already a few years old. And then, as the years passed my computer got older and older. Since it was an Atari (and the Atari company had went broke) I was unable to get any more programs for it, and I could get any stand business and finance type of programs for it. As my computer got older I kept hearing about all that was happening with the personal computers. I so much wanted to get a computer that everyone else had (IBM compatible), but, because of my wife's feelings about computers I didn't dare ask to purchase a new computer. Besides, we didn't have the money and the only way that we could get a new computer would be to purchase it on credit.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Well, my wife loves to write letters, and send cards and notes to people. Ever since we have been marr.ied she sends out some almost every day. Back during that time I don't think that the Internet existed. But there were online BBS's (bulletin boards) that could be accessed through a modem. I had been accessing free BBS's for a few years. Then I wanted to sign onto one that cost money to sign on. I asked my wife if I could sign on and pay the fee. She replied, "I know you. If you join then you will be on it all the time." Even so, she allowed me to sign on. (One note here, I forget if it was before or after I registered at the paid BBS, I had told her about the homeschool BBS's that I had found. Since we were homeschooling the children that really interested her. Then she began to use the computer to access those BBS's.) As I got to using the paid BBS I found out that with that BBS we had an email account. After doing a little research I discovered that Emmy's mom, who was teaching at Cornell University, also had email. Then my wife began emailing her mom and other relatives, and was so pleased that should could send an email and get a response back the same time, sometimes in just a few minutes. And, as my wife accessed the various homeschool BBS's she read about all the homeschooling online groups that were online. This was the birthing of my wife's interest in computers. After a while she came to me and said, "Stephen, we need to get a new computer!" She wanted to have more access to all that was available online. (Our Atari ST computer was not capable of accessing those things.) So, we bought a new IBM compatible computer, on credit, and her interest in using the computer has grown and grown.</div>
<p>Well, we now had a mainstream computer which had lots of software available for it. We eventually bought QuickBooks and Quicken for our business. It took me about a year to learn to use Quickbooks. Well, as I learned better how to use it we ran all of our business finances through QuickBooks and our personal finances we put in Quicken. This gave me (and us) a much clearer picture of our finances than I had ever had before. Using this understanding of where our finances were really helped to turn around our finances. Although we didn't have any more money, we began using it more wisely. We didn't spend money as foolishly as we had in the past. Consequently we stopped having problems with our creditors. I saw how bringing our finances into the software... It was bringing everything into account so that it balanced, and brought peace into our lives in the area of finances, which I had never known before. This whole business (of bringing my wife together in being willing to obtain and use a computer) has been a process of us both learning to submit to a healthier state of financial accountability. As we learned more and more about it, I willingly submitted to it. And, it a larger sense, I've been learning to be accountable to myself and my own best interests.</p>
<p>Computer usage has become one of my main passions and interests. You could almost say that I love computers (althought that's not technically correct). I can do things with well-written programs on a computer that I couldn't do otherwise. Bookkeeping only one example. And over the years there have been many free or demo software program that one could freely download. One of my hobbies has been just downloading and trying out various software. So I have downloaded and tried out probably hundreds of software programs. Partly because I have tried out so many programs, and partly because I am very detail oriented, I can recognize well written software and don't spend much time using ineffecient or cumbersome software. It doesn't take me much time to evaluate whether or not a program is worth my time in learning it. However, even with all of its benefits, the computer has also been a big distraction from my doing as much productive paying work.</p>
<p>Another area where I have been struggling for most of my 67 years has been in the area of my weight. I've been overweight most of my life and I was overweight we I got married. After my marriage my weight had eventually go up to 268 pounds. Since that time I have gradually, on and off, lost a lot of weight, only to gain some of it back, and then to lose it again. Over the years I kept "trying to lose weight", but never could get to my goal weight of 180 lbs. Over the years I have weighed myself every day, so I knew where I was at. My main tools (or ideas) were my scale and a thought to "eat less". I was never consistent. Eating less always felt like a resistance of my constant desire to eat more. And so it has been for much of my life. I had heard about counting calories, but that seemed like a lot of work: keeping a calorie book with me, writing down everything that I ate (how would I know how to guess the food weight), looking up the calories, adding them up for each meal. Then adding up all the calories for the day. Then, how many calories do I need? To me, that whole process seemed ever too confusing.</p>
<p>Well, a number of years have passed since then, with just more of the same yoyo dieting affect. Would that ever end? Would I ever be able to get down to and stay at my "normal" weight? </p>
<p>Within the last year I discovered some health apps for my phone. I have tried several, which require me to log what I eat. With my eating and logging everything that I eat, I've noticed some things. During the times when I am consistant about logging what I eat I am successful about losing or maintaining my weight. However the first ones that I tried out looked nice and seemed to have most of the functions that I wanted, but they were more complex to keep logging the food items, so I would quit using it. For a while I felt bad that I couldn't seem to be very consistent at logging my food. After a while I kind of gave up, but then would try again to again fail. Then I learned something. Sometimes I don't recognized an unsuitable method, process or app until I find a better one that just works for me.</p>
<p>So, after all of this failing, I finally found something that seems to be working. There is a lot more to the process I use than what I am writing here. I'm in the process of writing out another more indepth article about how I use MyNetDiary, but for now, what follows will be sufficient. I found an app called MyNetDiary, that has both a <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fourtechnologies.mynetdiary.ad" onclick="window.open(this.href, '', 'resizable=yes,status=no,location=no,toolbar=no,menubar=yes,fullscreen=no,scrollbars=yes,dependent=no'); return false;">MyNetDiary android app</a> and a <a href="https://www.mynetdiary.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href, '', 'resizable=yes,status=yes,location=yes,toolbar=no,menubar=yes,fullscreen=no,scrollbars=yes,dependent=no'); return false;">MyNetDiary website</a>, which are linked together. Whatever I enter into the app shows up in my account at the website, and whatever I enter on my webite account shows up on my phone. You can see a Youtube video about it here: <a href="https://youtu.be/gVAjjkPsAY4" onclick="window.open(this.href, '', 'resizable=yes,status=no,location=yes,toolbar=no,menubar=yes,fullscreen=no,scrollbars=yes,dependent=no'); return false;">MyNetDiary Overview</a>.</p>
<p>Using the process that I use with MyNetDiary I'm down below my goal weight, for the first time in years. I have stopped the constant snacking. I'm quite content with eating less food now, and I'm OK with that, and I'm not hungry. I'm not always thinking about food.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As I'm logging everything that I do, it helps me to keep asking myself, "Am I doing what I want to do at this moment?" In addition, knowing that the timer is running on the logging app, it's like a constant reminder, "Keep focused, keep working."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In making out plans of what to do, I've been very good at making out plans of things that need to be done. But I've been terrible at tollowing them through. I haven't done those things on the lists. I've been distracted about so many things.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This app list many of the everyday things that we do and lets you time each thing. Using this app to track everything that I do is like having a multitude of tiny goals, one at a time. I'm learning to accomplish each tiny goal. It's like that running timer is saying to me, "keep focused, keep on track." It is helping me greatly to keep diverted into many other things because I have to keep working in the focus of the timer..</p>
<p>It is giving me new hope that I can accomplish some of my dreams. But maybe first, I need to dream. What are my dreams and my hopes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Being Accountable to Myself.</p>
<p>One of the most important thing that I have been learning is the I must be accountable (being in account, in balance) with myself first. I can always put on a good front to other people and pretend that everything it going OK. But I can't fool myself.</p>
<p>Then, However, the computer has also been a big distraction from my doing productive paying work.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/68">Family</a></div></div></div>Fri, 20 Jul 2018 14:40:44 +0000Stephen Winters789 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/blog/789/accountability-and-hope#commentsWanting to be Known and Acceptedhttp://live-anew.com/blog/788/wanting-be-known-and-accepted
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>For a long time I have been wanting people to know who I was, what I thought about, and what I believed, and to fully accept me within that context. I've wanted people in my life to really listen to me, want to deeply know me, and to fully accept me for who I am. I have wanted to be validated by other people. I've wanted that from one of my relatives for a long time. In fact, that would be great if I received that from most of my close family. However, that hasn't happened. I remember part of what my counselor told me, that of not traumatizing other people by what I would say or do. As I think about this, where I am and what I think and believe and God and this life would be very difficult for others who know me to accept. It could be quite traumatizing for some of them. I think about those in my family or origin and associated relatives. Many of them have grown up within the context of a particular religious ideology and think that the world revolves around that mindset. They have a hard time thinking that anything of value could be outside their way of thinking. I should understand that, because I spent most of my early years in that same manner of thinking and believing.</p>
<div> It seems as though it was not until I was able to voice it, to put it in words that I began to get free from it. What I mean is the desire for other people to know who I am what I believe and what I think about that and to accept me for that. Is only sense being able to speak that. My mind has been switching to ask other people how they are doing, to be focused on them.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I seem to be transitioning to another state, that I thinking it's less about me and more about other people. Perhaps this is partly because I am become more secure in who I am and in what I think and believe. The thoughts that have been coming to me has been about focusing on other people and asking "Who are you?" Stepping out of my own desires and needs and learning to connect with other people for who they are. It has taken me many years to get here, and I am yet not fully here in this place, but am gradually coming more and more to this place.</div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/68">Family</a></div></div></div>Wed, 18 Jul 2018 13:49:29 +0000Stephen Winters788 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/blog/788/wanting-be-known-and-accepted#commentsLiving a Life of Wonderhttp://live-anew.com/blog/786/living-life-wonder
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div><strong>Is This Life Horrible or Wonderful?</strong></div>
<div>In this life, what you look for is what you will find.</div>
<div>If you are looking for what is miserable and awful,</div>
<div> that is what you will find, a world that is miserable and awful,</div>
<div> filled with every dreaded thing</div>
<div> </div>
<div>If you look for what is wonderful and awe-inspiring,</div>
<div> that is what you will find, a world that is wonderful and awe-inspiring,</div>
<div> filled with all the delights and wonders of this.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In every age and in every life, </div>
<div>there are both horrible and wonderful things.</div>
<div>What will you focus on? What will you notice?</div>
<div>What type of world do you want to live in?</div>
<div>What do you want your life to be about?</div>
<div>What you look for is what you will find.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>That doesn't mean you are to ignore those</div>
<div>who are suffering and in pain</div>
<div>Rather take the beautiful, wonderful, </div>
<div>and awe-inspiring things of this life</div>
<div> to those who are in pain. Help those who are in need</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Take the wonder-of-being with you </div>
<div>and seek out those who are lonely and afraid.</div>
<div>Be a comforter and encourager to them. </div>
<div>Show them the wonder that their lives can be.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This does not mean that you are to overlook evil</div>
<div>and pretend like everything is wonderful</div>
<div>Rather, overcome evil by doing that which is good.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>This is not about pretending that everything is nice and wonderful</div>
<div>while everything is falling down around you.</div>
<div> By Stephen Winters</div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/168">Daily Blog</a></div></div></div>Fri, 22 Jun 2018 17:28:13 +0000Stephen Winters786 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/blog/786/living-life-wonder#commentsA Spotless Life, A Beginning.http://live-anew.com/node/784/spotless-life-beginning
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>As I look around me, my house is a mess, my workshop is a mess, the yard is a mess. In the past I have cleaned up this or that, only to have it become a mess again in a very short time. Each time I did the cleaning, I didn't change anything about be, or how I have related to the environment and my surroundings. I've heard it said that the first thing to change is to admit that there is a problem. More than that is to admit my part of the problem. For much of my life I've been a messer-upper. I have not contributed to improving myself or my surroundings in a consistant ongoing manner. Since I started this thought of "a Spotless Life" I have started to look at the environment differently. I've been beginning to start picking up things around me, at least a little bit more than before. One of my hopes with writing this blog series on the spotless life is to keep myself focused and motivated on continually improving myself and my environment.</p>
<p>Start by picking up what is in front of me, moment by moment. Change the way that I enteract with my surroundings. Don't be so comfortable just living in the mess. And mor than that, become a helper. Help out wherever and whenever I see someone busy (where applicable).</p>
<div>As I walk around my house, my yard and shop, and am busy in my life I see so much of my life that needs to be fixed. I see so much clutter that I need to be picking up as I go. It's like as though I am beginning to see my life and surroundings differently than before. I think I am beginning to take responsibility for my environment, even if it is just a tiny amount.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I think that the trick is to keep focused on what I have control over and not to get distracted by the messes that are part of other people's lives. It would be so easy to judge other people for their messes and Overlook my own messes. So, the message to myself is, keep focused on what I have control over and the ability to change.</div>
<div>I have noticed that Within Myself once I start to clean up a little bit it's like something turned on inside of me that says let's get more plant clean up. Let's get this place cleaned up. When I do a little, it motivates me to do more.</div>
<div>This morning I was motivated to clean out the front porch and sweep the leaves and debris that gathered around it, to clean off the front steps. Then, outside the front railing I used the weed wacker to trim down the weeds and the grass so that our stone walkway with is now cleared off again. I have spent quite a lot of time doing this, but now I need to get out to work in my shop.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>In some ways, changing my behavior to start living a more spotless life is like just flipping on a light switch. With the turning on the light comes a stronger awareness of the mess around me AND a desire to do something about it FOLLOWED BY the actions of actually doing it.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Evening: With saying all of that, tonight I messed up. I stayed up until after 11:30 p.m. . This will hurt me tomorrow and trying to get up at an early enough time. This was a slip. I need to get up and get going again. I had gone out grocery shopping and got home about 9:30, which was OK, but then I stayed up and watched a couple of videos, a bad choice. That just sucked my time away. </div>
<div> </div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-4 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Site Keywords:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/site-keywords/living-spotless-life">living a spotless life</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div></div></div>Thu, 31 May 2018 14:11:14 +0000Stephen Winters784 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/node/784/spotless-life-beginning#commentsLiving A Spotless Lifehttp://live-anew.com/node/782/living-spotless-life
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div>This morning I was in the kitchen looking at our black gas range. It is a constant struggle to keep it clean. As I cook I am constantly dropping or drisling small specks of food on the rangetop. Even in my cleaning it is hard for me to get all the specks off of it. It seems that I'm constantly dropping tiny specks on it and it seems almost impossible to keep clean. I've wished for a multi-colored surface that wouldn't show the dirt and specks.</div>
<div>Then I got to thinking how my wife's mother just keeps her house, kitchen, and her stove spotless. It seems that she is living in such a way that keeps everything clean. That got me to thinking. What is it about me that has a hard time keeping things clean? Is there something that I can change about how I live that could keep things clean around me?</div>
<div>Although my original thought was about keeping the stove clean, there seems to be a message here that applies to how I live my life on a daily basis. The challenge is to live moment-by-moment in such a way that doesn't dirty up the surroundings, that doesn't bring hurt and offense to those around me. Is it possible to live moment by moment, to be in such a state of awareness, that I can recognize when I am bringing clutter, disturbance, soil, hurt into a situation as I am in the middle of it? Can I then change the situation so that I correct that harm that I have done or am about to do? Then, to take it further, is it possible to be in such a state of life and awareness that I can see my own actions about to happen even before I do them and thus correct them before they turn into actions.</div>
<div>Even as I say this, I look at this that it is still living reactively, in response to what I'm about to do or have done. Then, to take this even a step further, what about living proactively, in such a way and with such a motive that my first though and first actions would be that of cleanliness, that of peace and order, where my first thought would be to help and bless others. To live that way instead of just correcting my irresponsible thoughts or actions that are about to happen or have happened.</div>
<div>What would that take to live such a life?</div>
<div>As I think more about it, what if I were to live in such a way that I always left the area that I am in cleaner or in a better state? What if I consistantly cleaned up a litter here and there wherever I was? Rather than have just be a nice theory in my head, what if I started to live this way right here and right now.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>It is all too easy to feel good that "I had this wonderful thought" and then to never follow through with the actions.</div>
<div>One important thing to remember is, "never give up the dream, the focus, the goal". If (or when) I fail, shake it off and go again, and again, and again. True failure would be to give up and stop trying. Like anything else, any new skill has to be learned, and it takes time and repetition. It also takes building a whole new sense of knowledge and awareness. Knowledge is about study and experience of what is needed to succeed. Awareness is about being aware of how I am doing in any given moment, learning to truly live in the moment. This is a new skill with much to be learned. No giving up, no going back, and no guilt or condemnation(which are excuses to stop trying) for seemingly failing in any given moment. Just getting up and going again over and over again. Each time I fail, take a few moments to examine what caused me to fail (write it in my journal). Make the necessary changes in my thinking and in my habits, and go again. The longer that I stay on this road, the more I learn about myself, the more experience I gain, and the closer I get to my goal.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Now, read this over again every morning so that I never forget and never lose heart. Also, to get ideas of how to succeed, look up what others have to say about living <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=a+spotless+life&amp;rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS784US784&amp;oq=a+spotless+life&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60l3j0l2.4265j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8" onclick="window.open(this.href, '', 'resizable=yes,status=yes,location=yes,toolbar=yes,menubar=no,fullscreen=no,scrollbars=no,dependent=no'); return false;">a spotless life</a>. Some may be useable, probably much won't be of any practical value. As I think more about this, much of what I need to know and learn will come from within, of learning about myself, of being real and honest. Keep a journal will be invaluable on this journey.</div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-4 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Site Keywords:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/site-keywords/spotless">spotless</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/site-keywords/living-spotless-life">living a spotless life</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div></div></div>Tue, 29 May 2018 15:12:32 +0000Stephen Winters782 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/node/782/living-spotless-life#commentsHaving Faith Versus Seeking Truthhttp://live-anew.com/node/775/having-faith-versus-seeking-truth
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p>Accepting the "Faith" of a religion is in many ways much simpler and easier that questioning the status quo to find out what is true.</p>
<p>Many religions have the "Statement of Faith" all written out. All you have to do is just agree to that statement and it is all done, neat and clean. Now, just every time your mind doubts and questions anything, just repeat, "Doubt your doubts, believe your beliefs". You never have to go beyond that.</p>
<p>By contrast, trying to search for truth is often messy and is full on uncertainty and doubts. Truth is illusive and often not easy to find. Truth is not like a brick that you can look at and say, "That's the truth!" Rather it's often like a soft fluffy cloud with all types of thin trail leading off from it. That truth cloud bumps up against and overlaps with many other clouds.</p>
<p>The search for truth is also often full of heartaches. Those around you don't want to be unsettled from their chosen belief system.</p>
<p>Truth is not a person or an entity. Rather, truth is reality, that which is really true. It is seeing things and people as they truly are, at least in theory. We have to really question whether or not we are capable of seeing and knowing the truth when we see it. It has been said:</p>
<blockquote><p>“We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.”— Rabbi Shemuel ben Nachmani, as quoted in the Talmudic tractate Berakhot</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is a lot of truth in that saying. When we think that we are looking for truth, that can easily turn into seeking a predetermined outcome that would be acceptable to us.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-4 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Site Keywords:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/35">faith</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/19">truth</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div><div class="field-item odd"><a href="/taxonomy/term/67">Religion</a></div></div></div>Wed, 05 Jul 2017 03:03:48 +0000Stephen Winters775 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/node/775/having-faith-versus-seeking-truth#commentsLessons From The Father Of The Prodigal Sonhttp://live-anew.com/node/752/lessons-father-prodigal-son
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><div>In a men's group which I colead with another guy there are times when everyone shows up and then there are sometimes when it's just the two of us, when no one else shows up. It would be very easy to get discouraged and say, "Let us close down this group and do something else because this isn't working." (To read more about the focus of the group, go here: <a href="http://live-anew.com/node/720" onclick="window.open(this.href, '', 'resizable=yes,status=yes,location=yes,toolbar=yes,menubar=yes,fullscreen=no,scrollbars=yes,dependent=no'); return false;">The Call to Go Deeper, in a Small Group</a>.)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Then I get to thinking about two other strong lessons in my life. One is about the father of the Prodigal Son and the other was about our First Friday game night.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>When I think about the father of The Prodigal Son I think of how the son left. He wanted his share of his father's estate so that he could go out and do whatever he wanted. His father could have said no. But for whatever reason he decided to give his son a portion of his estate. We all know the story of the prodigal son so I won't go into it at this point. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>What I want to focus on is the father. Suppose, if the father had decided, that after he gave his son his portion, that the father would have just retired and decided to do whatever he wanted. How would the story have ended differently? For one thing, later in the story we can see the attitude of the older brother told the returning Wayward younger brother. If the father had not of been there then the younger brother would have had nothing to come back to, accept the judgment and condemnation of the older brother. I would imagine that the younger brother, after he had spent all this money and was living with the pigs was ready to change his ways and to come back home. But, if all he had to come back to with the judgmental attitude of this older brother, then the story may have ended completely differently. Perhaps the younger brother would have left again and to what end no one knows.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>However, since the father stayed in his position as a head of the household and the head of all the property he made it possible for the younger brother to return. I would imagine that there may have been many times when the father looked out down the road and wondered if his son would ever come back. He may have even got discouraged and wanted to give up on waiting for his son. But, instead, we have the example of the father who continued holding forth and not giving up no matter what the circumstances may have seemed to indicate.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Now in the second example I am going to talk about our game night. We have been having the game night on the 1st Friday most of the time for the last several years. Some nights we have had almost a full house with people falling all over one another. On other nights there have been a just few, or even a couple. And even on some nights no one besides Emmy and I showed up. During these times we could say, "Let's just give it up because not enough people all showing up." But if we did that then we would miss out on all the good times when people do come and we do have a good time. So Emmy and I have decided to continue game night month after month whether anyone appears to be going to show up or not. And we have had a lot of good wonderful nights, even if only one, two, or only a few show up. At some time we may end it but not now.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Now I am coming to the men's group that Tony and I are leading. We continue to have the group whether or not anyone shows up. (Fortunate, most meetings we have at least one or two others.)</div>
<ul>
<li>For one thing we are giving them a place that they can come to whenever they are able to come.</li>
<li>Secondly, it is teaching us to be faithful to the idea that we hold valuable regardless of what circumstances might indicate.</li>
<li>Thirdly, I really treasure the times when it is just the two of us. It gives us yet another time to interact on a closer level and deepen our relationship</li>
</ul>
<div> </div>
<div>And furthermore, as I think about this even more, I think about one of the guys in our group. He does occassionally show up. But he is going through some pretty difficult times right now. There have been many times that he has either not shown up for the group oh he has not followed through in getting together with me. It would be easy to get discouraged and give up on him. But I am realizing that it is needful for me to continue to be faithful and helpful towards him even when he does not seem to respond. In many ways this is like living out the part of the father of The Prodigal Son, of being there for the son or the other person even when that other person seems to be struggling or seemingly going astray. It is not for me to decide what is the right path for another person to follow. Each of us only comes to the fulfillment of our Journey when we follow our own path. We need to let the other person follow his path and give him what help we can along the journey.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>And, as I follow this thought even further it would seem that many, if not all, of us parents are parents of prodigal children. It may be very difficult to let each child struggle along his own pathway. As parents we have thoughts of which path of children should take and we want to guide them down that way. The difficult thing is to realize that each child has his or her own destiny , even if it seems to go against the path that we want him or her to take. Much like the father of The Prodigal Son , as parents we must hold true to the position and the duties that we have been given.</div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-5 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Blogs:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/taxonomy/term/69">Character</a></div></div></div>Sat, 16 Jul 2016 05:13:05 +0000Stephen Winters752 at http://live-anew.comhttp://live-anew.com/node/752/lessons-father-prodigal-son#comments